NaNoWriMo Novel 2: “Mobly and Abernacky in The Seductive Dark Pearl”

Small shiney like badges should be.

“Where’d you get this?” Abernacky asked, flipping the badge over in his hand.

“I found it in the stomach of a beetle.”

Mobly raised his eyebrow.

“I was out gathering beetle legs for that old wizard in Varanas East Wing. Who knows what he does with them, but he pays good and it’s not hard work. Anyway I whacked on of those beetles and saw something shiny. I didn’t really like digging through beetle guts but I figure it was a risk worth taking.”

Abernacky saw a name inscribed on the back. “August? As in the House of August?”

“That’s what I think. How it wound up in a beetles stomach is a mystery I can live without, but I’m sure anyone from the House of August would be gracious to have it back.”

“You mean a ‘reward’” Abernacky sneared.

“Well, yes, but only if they offer. We don’t have to extort them.”

“What do you mean we?” Abernacky’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you need me?”

“Well I didn’t plan on using you, I wanted to include you. The truth is, I know who the badge belongs to. It’s Phil August.”

“So?”

“So” Mobly continued to plead “Phil is a bit, well eccentric.” “He wants a few small favors. Some I can do and some I can’t, at least not without possibly costing me more than it would be worth it for any reward. If it were too of us, we’d quickly complete any tasks he asked of us, and split the reward.”

“That don’t make any sense” Abernacky grunted in disbelief.

“Look this armor is expensive. All my equipment is, and it’s already in need of repair. Any fights we’d get into would just make things worse for me, and I am a bit low on funds at the moment. Even splitting the reward would be worth more for me in the long run.”

Abernacky just stood there, his impatience and suspicion fuming like a minotaur.

“Look, don’t you want to at least get out of town for a spell. Look at it like a paid vacation. You might even like it.”

Truth was Abernacky did want to escape a little. He’d grown up in Logar, and even though the people were always nice to him, and he liked his life, he also had a yearning to find out who he was.

He had been raised by the whole town. Story was that someone just left him at the Mayor’s door. They took him in and cared for him, even when he was considered an outsider by all the other young ones. He had a peculiar tendency to seek out dark places and fashion his own little fort where he’d spend most of his time. He never really enjoyed swimming or playing kickball out in the street like the other kids.

It was after he started to reach adult hood that physical differences started to show. The townspeople were to bound by their own etiquette to say anything, but he knew what they all thought. He was rough around the edges. He was never impolite, having always been grateful for being given food and a bed, but it was a difference of thought, like the difference between city folk and country folk. The differences didn’t stop there. He was short, really short, and hair seemed to grow out of him at an alarming pace, all thick and course.

He knew this was his home, but it wasn’t his homeland. The desire to learn about himself never went away, it grew in him more and more everyday, like a sickly sweet weed that was prickly all over.

Abernacky stayed in Logar despite this, because it was familiar, he knew how to live hear. He was comfortable, and didn’t want to change that, even if it meant finding out who he was. He knew part of it was lying to himself, but the rationalizing of it was always enough to keep him rooted in Logar.

Yet, no one had ever really gave him a means to safely travel where his fear was quelled enough. He knew it wasn’t far to Varanas, and if he got into trouble, Logar would help him out. He wouldn’t except that though. They had done more than enough for a single person. He wouldn’t throw unexpected trouble or cost on any of them. Not after he started living in his own home, and making his own way.

“Well, what do you think?” Mobly interrupted his thoughts.

Abernacky looked toward Logar, as if he could see the town through Sevaida Woods, fingering the badge.

“I reckon there’s no reason why not to go.”

Mobly beamed “It’s settled then, we’ll head to Varanas, I know where Phil usually is during the day.”

“Who knows, prolly somethin’ to do with the old Dead Tree Cave. People been sayin’ there’s strange noises not to mention all these nasty spiders that seem to be multiplying daily.”

“Well it’s really not surprising. A lot of weird stuff is happening all over. Some say evil is coming back full-force.”

“What d’ya mean?”

“Take the Howling Mountains for instance. The Barrows with their strange rock formations. It’s said that those used to be worshiping grounds for all manner of evil creatures a long time ago.”

Mobly told him the story of the Howling Mountains. How lesser demonds and wild horde used to perform rituals which gave the areas its name. Later the Eye of Wisdom and Varanas Council sent waves of troops and wizards in eventually cleansing the area and making it habitable for people.